Cubs like what they see from former Irish grid star

Jeff Samardzija's Cubs debut mixes good, bad

Although he received a standing ovation from 41,570 Wrigley Field fans after his two innings of work, he also allowed the tying run to score Friday in the Cubs' 3-2 loss to Florida.

"I was pretty happy with how I felt on the mound, but I made two dumb pitches and it really sticks a thorn in your side after the way [Ryan] Dempster was pitching," he said.

Despite being denied his 12th victory, Dempster had nothing but praise for a young pitcher who flew all night without sleep just to get from Triple A to Wrigley Field.

"It won't be the last time he [loses a lead]. Honestly, it's going to happen," Dempster said. "It's happened to all of us who have been down there [in the bullpen]. I thought he threw the ball great. He looked really, really good and he's going to help us tremendously.

"I know he feels badly. But that's the tough part of a one-run game. One bounce here or there can mean the difference, and unfortunately it didn't happen for us today."

Samardzija, the All-America wide receiver from Notre Dame who received a five-year contract worth $10 million to give up football in 2006, admitted to a case of rookie jitters in Friday's seventh inning when he gave up a run on a single, a stolen base on which he threw a pitchout to the backstop and Jorge Cantu's double.

He had a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth before leaving for a pinch-hitter.

"The first inning I was kind of here and there," he said. "It was unacceptable on that pitchout. If we throw him out [stealing], it's a different inning.

"I felt real good coming out for the second inning. I felt my mechanics came together a little bit more and I was a little smoother."

The bottom line: A few bounced pitches, consistent 97-99 m.p.h. readings on the radar gun, but a blown save and a 4.50 ERA.

Samardzija was asked about the similarities of pitching in Wrigley Field with first place on the line and catching passes against USC and Michigan.

"In football you can feed off the crowd a little bit more," he said. "I think I let it get to me [Friday]."

Dempster doesn't buy that.

"He's used to catching touchdowns on NBC in front of 100,000 people," Dempster said. "This isn't pressure for him. This is probably fun. Seems like every time he has moved up [in the system] he has done better because the competition has been a little better and there have been more people in the stands. He enjoys the challenge."

Samardzija acknowledged that.

"I enjoy playing in front of a lot of people, I enjoy having the pressure of big games sitting on your shoulder," he said upon his arrival Friday. "It's what you shoot for."

Of course there are nerves, especially on the long flights [from Tucson] after he was summoned to replace Kerry Wood on the roster. Samardzija had compiled a 4-1 record with a 3.13 ERA in six games at Triple-A Iowa.

"I just remember going to big games in college and not sleeping much the night before and thinking about every possible situation," Samardzija said.

"Just sitting on the two planes, there wasn't a situation that didn't go through my head."

It is unclear how long Samardzija will remain in the Cubs' bullpen, with Wood scheduled to return from the disabled list late next week. But he wants to make a good first impression.

The Cubs put him into a high-pressure situation Friday and in the unfamiliar spot of coming in out of the bullpen.

"I'm not really worried about [the bullpen]," he said. "I'm not worried about it because the juices will be flowing. I'm not here to develop or work on anything. I'm here to help the team win games."

Although a star wasn't exactly born Friday, Samardzija did nothing to suppress hype nor fans' enthusiasm, not with his effortless fastball nearly hitting triple digits.

"I loved it, I couldn't ask for anything more," the Indiana native said. "They were standing up and cheering and I loved it."